Former Formula 1 driver, Timo Glock, reckons that Nyck de Vries is now “clearly” in the mix for a seat on the grid in 2023.
The Dutchman did not get his shot in Formula 1 after he won the Formula 2 title in 2019, and he left the McLaren young drivers programme that year after it became apparent that they had no plans for him.
He turned to the Mercedes EQ Formula E team, and he claimed the title with them in 2021, while he and Stoffel Vandoorne guided them to teams’ success two years running.
Mercedes have been replaced by McLaren in the all-electric series for season nine, and de Vries still does not appear to be on their radar, so he is still looking for a drive.
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The 27-year-old might have gone some way towards achieving that with his appearance at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend though.
De Vries had initially practiced with Aston Martin on Friday, and he was not scheduled to appear again for the remainder of the weekend.
However, Alex Albon came down with appendicitis, so he was ruled out, and de Vries deputised at extremely short notice.
The Dutchman out-qualified Nicholas Latifi, before finishing ninth and scoring points on his Formula 1 debut.
With Williams, Alfa Romeo, Haas, Alpine and AlphaTauri all in need, as it stands, of drivers next season, de Vries may have caught a few eyes.
“In my opinion, it is relatively clear what this means for the driver market,” Glock wrote in his column for Sky Germany.
“He has been one of the candidates all along, but of course he has brought himself even more clearly into the conversation with such an appearance as at the weekend.
“He will definitely appear on the list for every team now, I’m also sure we’ll see him in one of the cars next year.”
Mick Schumacher has been under pressure at Haas this year, as his contract runs out at the end of the season, and his performance in the early part of 2022 were underwhelming.
Since the Canadian Grand Prix though, the 23-year-old has shone, and despite being out-qualified by Kevin Magnussen for the 12th time this season, he was on par with the Dane’s pace all weekend.
There is extra competition for Schumacher, but his compatriot indicated that he might be doing enough to stay put for next year.
“For Mick Schumacher, this means there is another competitor for the remaining cockpits,” added Glock.
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“Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier for him. In my opinion, however, he also – perhaps a little more under the radar – also performed greatly.
“With 16 laps all weekend [in practice] and the many problems he had, to move up to 12th place with a car that didn’t have speed at Monza is really a good performance. And he also had a clear grip on his team-mate.”
Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, ahead of Charles Leclerc and George Russell.